A Journey of Our Own
by oldshowaddict2015
Summary: CarlXOc. Must read The Morning After first. After Jackie and Carl's relationship becomes a little rocky, Jackie decides it's best for her to leave Alexandria. She just didn't plan on Carl to follow her, just so he can try and talk things out. Along the way, their relationship grows stronger as they face challenges that test their strength, mentally and physically. R&R! No flames!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Decided to make a multi-chapter sequel! You can read _The Morning After_ first to understand this a bit better but either way, I'm not sure it would matter. Enjoy! Also, this is going to differ from Season 6, because normally this wouldn't have happened. R&R! No flames!

Chapter One

I began packing furiously, making sure I had my supplies and ammo in my bag before slinging it on my back. I put my pistol in its holster and my bowie knife on my belt. I put my hair up and hurried to my front door, swinging it open just as I saw Carl about to knock on it, wearing his father's old sheriff hat.

"Carl..." I stammered for a moment. "What-what're you doing here?"

"I was going to ask you what's been going on lately."

I shook my head, trying to play it cool. "Nothing's been going on."

"That doesn't explain why you've been avoiding me all week."

I rolled my eyes and made my way past him. "I shouldn't have to explain anything to you." I started down my porch steps.

"Actually, I would like an answer." He followed me and grabbed my arm. It wasn't a tight squeeze, but it was enough to make me stop and turn to look at him. "Jackie we've been friends since we were kids. Last time I checked you don't usually up and leave without telling someone goodbye." He paused for a moment. "Especially after knowing for someone for as long as we have known each other. I mean everything we've been through and everything we...did..." I saw a blush tint his cheeks, and for a moment, it was really cute, but I pushed that thought out of my mind immediately. This is the apocalypse. You don't fall in love with someone during the apocalypse. Maggie and Glenn might say otherwise, but what's the point in it?

"Yeah, well..." I sighed. "What we _did_ happened by accident. You and I both know that."

"It didn't feel like one to me."

"Trust me. It was." I felt my backpack strap slide down a bit, and it hit his hand.

"It didn't feel like it to me."

"Yeah. To _you_. Let me go."

And with that, Carl let go of my arm. I nodded, fixed my backpack, and turned on my heel to leave.

"Will you at least tell me where you're going?"

"Nope."

"Well, I mean... Are you coming back?"

"I don't know."

I started walking towards the gate, looking up at the sky. It was a pale blue, and you couldn't see clouds anywhere. It was the kind of sky I liked. Clear. Just blue with the bright sun always shining down. It was one of the very few things that I loved nowadays.  
I looked at the people in the watchtower and stood in front of the gate, waiting. I waved my hand once, and the gate began opening. I sighed, fixing my backpack again and I walked out.

I didn't turn. Not when the gate started closing. Not when my arm lightly brushed the impaled walker's fingertips (the stench and the groaning was so annoying, but I blocked it out). Not when I heard Carl call my name for the I don't know what time that week. I just kept walking.

Not until I heard the gate open again. I turned and stopped in my tracks as Carl hurried out after me.

"Carl! Go back!"

"I'm not letting you come out here alone."

"Carl-"

"No." He stood in front of me, shaking his head. "Either I come with you, or you're not going."

"You don't even know what I'm doing." I snapped at him.

"I have a hunch." Carl shifted his weight from his left foot to his right. "Look... I don't even know what's going on between us, but I'll be damned if I'm going to let you out there alone. You could get hurt out here, or worse."

"I'll be fine." I said through gritted teeth.

"Too bad, so sad." He crossed his arms. I rolled my eyes and started walking off. Behind me, I heard his feet hit the dirt road. I rolled my eyes, not turning to look at him.

"You are so Goddamn stubborn."

"So what else is new?" I heard humor in his voice. I sighed.

"Ever hear of staying in the house, Carl?"

"Plenty of times. But I don't want to."

"So what else is new?" I repeated his remark. He caught up to me and grabbed my arm again, stopping me. I shook my head. "You shouldn't be out here. You don't even have a weapon."

I saw him raise his eyebrow. "How do you know?"

"I don't see one on you."

"Exactly. You don't _see_ one on me. But I could very well have one in my pocket or under my hat." He joked. I smiled a bit and looked down, shifting my feet. Gently, he placed his hands on my arms. "Look," his face was serious again. "I want to help you. I don't want you out here alone. It just isn't safe."

"Why? Because I'm a girl?" I raised an eyebrow.

"No, because you'll get hurt. I know you, Jackie, you're a klutz." I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off. "In five seconds you would have fallen, hurt yourself and become dinner for the walkers." I stood there for a moment, trying to think of something to say, but nothing came out. Mainly because I knew he was right, but there was no way in hell I was going to admit _that_ anytime soon.

Instead, all I could say was, "I am not a klutz."

Carl chuckled to himself. "Remember when we were at the prison and you fell into the hog pen?"

"So?"

"You broke your wrist and cried how it was never going to be the same again because you landed on it wrong."

"I was just trying to... reenact that scene from the Wizard of Oz."

"No, you're a klutz and you just don't want to admit it. So. Like it or not, I'm going with you." I stuck my tongue out at him and started leaving his side. "Besides, we still need to talk about what happened." I heard him follow me.

"No we don't."

"Yes we do."

"Says you." I put my hair up. "I'm just going to keep my motherfucking mouth shut." I heard him sigh quietly. "Look." I faced him, walking backwards a bit. "We can talk. Just not about that. I'm not ready yet."

"Well, when will you be?"

"I'll let you know." I turned back around before stopping.

"What is it?"

I looked at him. "You can drive, right?"

"A bit." Carl shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, Dad's given me a couple of lessons, but I'm not exactly the best." He paused for a moment. "Why?"

I crossed my arms. "You wanna take a car instead?"

At this, he smiled a bit. "I thought you'd never ask."

/

I peeked into a little white car as Carl forced the door open on the driver's side.

"This one?" I looked at him.

"Yeah." He got in.

"You're positive?"

"Pretty positive." He started the car.

"Carl."

"What?"

"It's a Prius."

"And?" Carl looked at me. "It's not like you're carrying around a million bags. It'll work just fine."

I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. "You're the driver."

"Damn right I am." He grinned. I opened the passenger door and put my backpack on the floorboard behind me. Slowly, Carl started driving; only picking up speed when we got out of the grass. I rolled the window down, leaning my head back on the headrest. Every now and again, we hit a couple bumps but it wasn't a huge oh-my-fucking-God-fly-out-of-your-seat bump. Just a small wiggle and it was over. Not like people needed to fix roads anyway. I mean, damn, it's the zombie apocalypse. Roads really aren't the problem here.

I felt Carl put his hand on mine, and I looked over at him before moving my hand. I saw him bite the inside of his cheek, check behind him every now and again in his rearview mirror. Not once, though, did he really look at me.

After what seemed like an eternity, he spoke.

"Do you have any idea where you're going?"

"As of now, no." I replied, absentmindedly twirling my hair with my finger.

"Do you have a place in mind?"

"North." I shrugged. "I mean, it ain't definite, but gotta start somewhere."

"Start what? Looking for your parents?"

I looked at him. "Yeah..." I bit my lip.

"I thought you said it was a stupid idea."

"I did." I leaned the seat back a little, staring at the ceiling of the car. "I did say that. But I thought about it. And I'm pretty sure they'd look for me."

"They'd be stupid not to." I looked over at him. "I mean, if it was my kid, I'd hunt night and day. But that's just me."

"I would too. It's just... After my brother died they kinda... I don't know... I don't wanna say "Gave up" because they didn't, but..." I shrugged. "They weren't themselves."

"How so?" We turned on to another street.

"I don't know. Like they just... They were there but they weren't. I think it traumatized them." Then again, I'd be traumatized too if I saw my son ripped apart by walkers. I didn't exactly see it, but I remember my mother telling me about it the day after it happened. After that, she and Dad were never the same. Try being twelve years old and having to shoot your brother in the head because he was going to become a monster at any given second.  
See it happened in the middle of the night, and at the time I was a really heavy sleeper. It took a _lot_ to wake me up. I was lucky that _I_ wasn't bit that night. My brother lasted until morning, and when he finally had stopped breathing, my father had given me the gun. He couldn't do it. And Mom, well... She was like a walker herself almost. She spoke, but it was quiet. I remember it clearly.

" _Walkers... Middle of the night... Zachary bit... Oh God..._ "

I think she went a little nutzo there, personally. Only reason why I remembered that was because it freaked me out a bit. At some point, about a week after that, we were ambushed again and I made it out. I never saw my parents again. And then-boom-I was found sleeping in the grass by a brown haired woman, and that's how I met Carl. Yes, that woman was Lori. So let's just say I owe her my life, even now. And the fact that I fucked her son a week ago and I brushed him off this whole week...

It's one hell of repaying that act of kindness, that's for sure.

"You'd be crazy if you weren't." Carl said. I nodded.

"Yeah."

I looked over at him for a moment, biting the inside of my cheek. I mean, shit, Carl wasn't a bad looking kid. Like at all. It's just... he's like my _brother_. I wouldn't do this with Zach, so why Carl? Didn't make any sense to me.

Worse yet, we were each other's _firsts_. So no matter what, we would be tied together in that retrospect.

"Carl?"

"Yeah?"

I opened my mouth to speak but for a moment nothing came out. "I..." I cleared my throat and sat up, taking my hair down. "Do you want to hunt for food or forage around for it tonight?"

If you thought for a second that I was going to tell him that I loved him, you were crazy. I don't love Carl. Not like that. I shouldn't. It'd be like incest. It would be wrong. So, so wrong.

But then again...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

I hopped out of the Prius and stretched my legs and popping my back. Carl got out next, taking his hat off and running his hand through his hair. I made my way into the convenience store and looked around. The place was looted, though that was to be expected. Shelves were on the floor, trash and broken glass was everywhere. I made my way to the small food aisle, which was all but gone. It had some things, but whether or not they were things _I_ liked, well...

I'd find out.

Carl opened one of the little refrigerators that would hold the milk, sodas, shit like that. I looked over at him.

"Probably isn't any good."

"I'm only getting the water." He grabbed the biggest water bottle, standing on his tip toes to reach it. I looked up.

"Is there another one?"

"No, we're going to have to share. At least the big one. Get me a bag from the register, I'm grabbing the last few."

I left the food aisle, which really didn't have much. I shoved some Slim Jims and those beef jerky things-you know, the ones with the red and black wrapping-into my pockets, but that was really all I took.  
I walked behind the register and reached for the plastic bags when a growl made me turn.

I backed up a bit as a walker reached for me, its mouth wide open and the growling getting louder. It was trapped underneath a shelf that had fallen and I stared at it for a moment. Its hair-at least, what was left of it-was stringy and was falling out, leaving bald patches. Its cheeks were sunken in, the cheekbones more prominent than they are for someone who was alive. The lips were pretty much gone. I don't know if they were ripped off or if they rotted away, but either way it was pretty nasty.  
The eyes were big and dulled, but the walker was still able to see me. These things were not blind. They could see. And all they could think of was the undying hunger for humans. It could smell me with what was left of its nose. I sighed and got a little closer to it, the smell of death getting closer and closer. I was used to it by now. Now, that didn't mean it smelled good. Hell no. I hated that smell. It was disgusting.

I pulled out my bowie knife and raised it above its head. The walker's growls got louder and it reached for me again, but I swiftly brought the knife down, cutting into its head. The growling stopped and the body fell limp. I got a bit of blood on my face, mainly on my left cheek, but wiped it off with the sleeve of my shirt. I yanked the knife out of the walker's head, and put it on my belt. Then, I grabbed the bags for Carl and walked out.

"Something happen?" He was reaching for all of the other water bottles. There were so many. Fiji. Dasani. Aquafina. They weren't cold, but that didn't exactly matter. Water was water. And water was essential to survival.

"Just killed a walker." I shrugged, handing him the bags.

"So what else is new?" He joked. I chuckled. He looked up at me. "Were you bit?"

"No. It was pretty much harmless, but I needed to put it out of its misery."

Carl nodded. "Good idea." I smiled a bit. "Got everything?"

"Yeah, I yanked some jerky. It's better than nothing."

Carl tied the bags and stood, handing me the big water bottle. "Ladies first."

I took it from him, smiling a bit. I opened the bottle and took a drink, smiling.

"Good choice." I handed it to him, and Carl took it from me.

"Thank you." He took a drink out of it. I looked around.

"Anything else you want to do? Get some fuel or some shit?" I scratched my head.

"I was actually thinking about syphoning some fuel, yeah. We're pretty empty."

"Well, come on then." I smiled and headed for the door when I stopped in my tracks. "Ah, shit."

"What?"

"Walkers." I sighed and walked over to the pocket knives, giving Carl the biggest one I could find. "Here. You actually have a weapon now."

He smiled a bit and I opened the door. There was a small group of three walkers, walking around aimlessly. Groaning every now and again was heard. I grabbed my bowie knife and walked out, going to the closest one-a female with brown hair. The next one, a bald man, I shot with my gun since he was a good distance away and I didn't exactly feel like walking. This caused the one up the road a ways to turn and look at me. I smirked at it.

"Come on, bitch!" I taunted. "Come on!" I smirked more, making my way towards it. The walker began to pick up a bit of speed, at least as much as it could. I raised my knife to slam it down on its head, but stopped when I heard a gunshot. I turned and looked to see Carl holding his gun, and putting it back in its ankle holster. Beside him were the bags of water, full to the brim with bottles. He smirked at me.

"I told you I had a weapon."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

He shrugged. "Didn't want to. I'm keeping the pocket knife though."

I smiled a bit and headed towards the car. "If there's three, you think there's more?"

"There's always more." Carl set the water in the back. "I mean, not as many as when we were under attack, but yeah."

I put knife back up and walked over to him. "How's your eye?"

"What eye?" he joked, and I lightly tapped him on the shoulder.

"Let me see." I checked his bandage and bit my lip. "We're going to have to get some more bandages and change this one out."

"Well, gotta find a big store for that."

"I know." I crossed my arms. "Want me to drive?"

"No I've got it." He shook his head.

"I'll get the fuel, then."

/

After a while, we were on the road again. We had been driving for a few hours, our tank now full. I looked over at Carl. There was just something about him. I'm not sure if it was his hair, or the way he treated me when we were together, but there was just _something_. I couldn't put my finger on it. Either way, though, I wasn't going to say anything. There was no point.

"Okay, so is there any certain place you'd like to stop for the night?" Carl drove straight for a few more seconds before turning left on a road. I shrugged.

"Hotel or a house would be nice. I won't complain about the car, but a bed would be a good perk."

"We'd be taking a risk here in the car."

"We'd be taking a risk in the hotel, too. Or a house. Just gotta check it out first, make sure everything's clear."

"True."

I looked at the woods next to us. Obviously there were no buildings in sight. We could sleep in the trees like monkeys, but that wasn't very comfortable. Woods were too dangerous anyway. I sighed.

"I'm fine with the car unless we find something." I told him. He nodded.

"I'll drive for a few more hours to see if I can find anything. But when it gets really dark, I'm going to pull over."

I nodded. "Sounds like an idea to me."

Needless to say, we drove around a few more hours and there wasn't shit in sight. When it was officially pitch black, Carl pulled over and stopped the car. I took my knife and my gun off my belt and put them in my bag, leaning my seat back all the way. Carl did the same, placing his hat on the dashboard.

"Do you think you'll find them?" Carl asked quietly. I shrugged.

"I don't know. Be nice to."

He looked over at me, though I was looking at the stars through the windshield.

"Jackie?"

"Hm?"

"Whatever happens out here, like whether or not we find your parents, you always have a home with me and my Dad." I looked over at him. "I mean it."

"Thanks." I smiled a bit. "I appreciate that."

Carl gave me a soft smile.

Goddammit.


End file.
